Friday, October 21, 2011

Erin Esurance is a guilty pleasure of mine. I used to delight in the many commercials that starred her longing for the chance that the character and premise would grow beyond the ad campaign into a series or something. The tropes that the Esurance ad campaign used hit me in all the right buttons- spy girl in a S.H.I.E.L.D.-like uniform, gadgets, espionage action. Not sure what it had to do with insurance, but cool anyways.

Esurance has recently been assimilated by Allstate. This spells doom for Erin. Her espionage skills and gadgets may not be enough for her to get out of this one...

The demise of the Esurance cartoon girl as Allstate moves in?

The pink-haired, black-catsuit-wearing Esurance cartoon character, "Erin Esurance," may soon exit stage left leaving, however, in proverbial "good hands." In a note to its car insurance policy holders today, Esurance announced that it has been acquired by the nation's largest publicly-held personal lines insurance company, Allstate.

The companies will continue to run independently, according to a statement. "Your policy ID and coverages will remain the same and we'll continue to offer all the services we do today," policyholders were also told.

There was no immediate news on whether the two brands would eventually merge into one and, if so, which name would win out over the other. Bets are that this is the start of the end for Erin Esurance, a familiar commercial figure. Allsate's familiar "good hands" logo may well stay given that the company has been leader in the U.S. insurance industry for more than 80 decades and fully acquired Esurance, founded in 1998.

If the Esurance brand disappears, Erin could survive under the right scenario. That's what happened in the last decade when Pets.com collapsed. The popular sock puppet dog that carries a microphone in its paw was sold to 1-800-BAR-NONE, an auto loan firm that focused on giving drivers (and corporate mascots) a "second chance."